Two months ago, Shanghai added a new regulation on waste management that has now boosted the municipality city’s garbage sorting and recycling practices. 
It is estimated that around 9,200 metric tons of kitchen garbage have been separated on a daily basis since the implementation of the law, on the 1st of July. This is a rise of 130% since last year’s amount. In addition, 4,600 tons of organic waste is reused every day and it is predicted that it will increase to 5,800 tons in the coming months. 

The Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau conveyed that residual waste fell by 26% since the end of 2018 and that recyclable waste now weighs at 4,500 tons per day, increasing 5 times more than the previous year. Director of the Bureau, Deng Jianping stated. ‘Appropriate waste sorting preserves the living environment and saves nature resources…Led by the central government, Shanghai is endeavouring to develop long-term solutions to garbage management.’

Moreover, when visiting the Hongkou district, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasised how important waste sorting is and how the city should make sure that it is managed well. Shanghai residents should separate their waste in 4 categories, recyclables, kitchen waste, hazardous waste and residual waste.